Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Oakland Info from Wikipedia

Rand McNally named Oakland as having the best weather in the United States.

According to the 2000 U.S. Census, Oakland and Long Beach, California are the most ethnically diverse cities in the United States, with over 150 languages spoken in Oakland.

The Black Panther Party was founded by Merritt College students Huey Newton and Bobby Seale as a response to police brutality.

The Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club's Oakland Chapter began to grow into a formidable organization in the 1960s. By the 1980s it was the most feared and respected of all Hells Angels chapters. Its Oakland Clubhouse still sits at 4019 Foothill Boulevard in East Oakland.

The 1970s saw the rise of drug operations topped by drug lord Felix Mitchell, whose activities helped push Oakland's murder rate to twice that of San Francisco or New York City.

In 2008, Carla moves to Oakland's Lake Merritt neighborhood and scores a job waiting tables at Levende East where she hopes to make million selling wine to thirsty people.

(almost all info taken directly from wikipedia)

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

David Segal...

...you are my hero right now.



Thank you for sharing this in the PDD.

xoxo
Carla

Art

Please watch 50 50 by Oliver Laric.

Thanks to Jesse for this.

I owe you big time.

xoxo
Carla

I <3 Yogurt!

Madzoon (yogurt) is one of my favorite foods on the planet. Being middle eastern means cooking with lots of yogurt - from appetizers, to the main course, to dessert!

I've never made my own yogurt before, but I'm going to start. It's cheaper and more environmentally friendly to make your own than to buy a big plastic tub of it every week at the market (if you eat as much as I do). Wish me luck in my experiment!

Yoghurt was first introduced to the United States by Armenian immigrants Sarkis and Rose Colombosian, who started "Colombo and Sons Creamery" in Andover, Massachusetts in 1929. Colombo Yogurt was originally delivered around New England in a horse-drawn wagon inscribed with the Armenian word "madzoon" which was later changed to "yogurt", the Turkish name of the product, as Turkish was the lingua franca between immigrants of the various Near Eastern ethnicities who were the main consumers at that time. Yoghurt's popularity in the United States was enhanced in the 1950s and 60's when it was presented as a health food. By the late 20th century yoghurt had become a common American food item and Colombo Yogurt was sold to General Mills in 1993.
-wikipedia

Yogurt is tasty and has medicinal uses. Use it to treat infections and an upset tummy. Always use plain yogurt with live and active cultures. Add your own flavors with fresh fruits, nuts, herbs, and spices. For a healthy snack I add uncooked oats or spelt flakes to yogurt with raisins, walnuts, and fruit preserves. So much better than ice cream! Keep the high fructose corn syrup and dyes out of your yogurt!

Love,
Shameless Yogurt Lover

Monday, November 10, 2008

Jesus <3s Fools



Yet another reason why I don't subscribe to organized religion, despite the importance it holds for my Armenian culture.

Participate by actively not participating in all foolishness.

Example.

Thanks to the PDD for the Armo video.

xoxo
Sarkis Diarbian
(aka Carla)

Maybe I want to love my dream that will never come true...

Farmers Market at the pier.  Jack London Square, Oakland

I'm here in Oakland living with Lily, Kiernan, and Gabriel. The weather is lovely, the hills are hilly, and the excitement is blossoming.

All I need is a job and I will feel a lot more calm. And for my boxes to get here from home (c'mon, mom!).

My neighborhood is called Lake Merritt and reminds me of Pawtucket, RI. There are a lot of working-class families in this residential neighborhood. Corner stores for lottery tickets and 40oz beers. Beware of Dog signs and frontyard vegetable gardens full of tomatoes and lettuces. Kids playing, palm trees, and the occassional street walker or drunk stumbling man. A nice balance of reality and fantastic California imagery. California isn't home, and I don't want it to be. I just want it to be the place where I live for now. Nothing trumps my real home.

Loneliness is a factor here, but as long as I stay busy and put energy into meeting high-quality lovely people, I'll be ok. My father calls me a Friend Magnet. I love friendship, and I live for friendship. (I miss you, Providence people!) Phone calls are very helpful. I am going to try very hard to make my phone calls on a regular basis. Call me, too. I need that. I feel that there is going to be a lot of sifting through of crappy people in this city. But I'll find the good ones.

:: disclaimer - I'm about to get all emo ::

I have also been missing the feeling of being in love for quite some time. I thought I had it, and it passed, then came back, then passed, then came back all of a sudden in the week before I left. I'm pretty sure it's a one-sided unrequited love. I'm pretty sure I'm being used and led on, but like the song says, "maybe I want to love my dream that will never come true."

Maybe it's easier to be hopeful and curious and obsessive about love than it is to actually put in the effort to be in a healthy relationship. I haven't been single for this long since before 8th grade. I'm freaking out. Somebody marry me, FAST! Then again, I don't think I've had feelings this strong in a loooong time. Well, good thing I just moved 3,000 miles away from the person I love. Perhaps this will give me perspective on why it's best not to love someone who can't commit. Or perhaps I should just accept that I want to elope and be a swinger.

In a nutshell:
I'm lonely and happy,
excited and exhausted,
sober and scared,
poor and imaginative.

Come visit me. It's beautiful here.

Love,
Carla

My new neighborhood was once a sewer, and later the nations first Wildlife Refuge.  Notice the dope birds (ca-caw!)  Lake Merritt, Oakl